BJJ Kimura: Setup from Guard, Side Control & More

Kimura Mechanics

The kimura (ude garami in judo) is a figure-four shoulder lock. Your hand grabs their wrist; your other arm passes behind their arm and grabs your own wrist. This creates a figure-four control that leverages the shoulder joint — specifically the glenohumeral joint — past its natural rotation limit.

The kimura grips are one of the most powerful in BJJ because once the figure-four is locked, the opponent has very limited options: tap, or risk shoulder injury. The grip is so secure that it can be maintained even while being swept or scrambled.

• Grip: your hand on their wrist, your arm behind theirs, grabbing your own wrist
• Finish: rotate the arm up toward their shoulder blade
• The elbow stays bent at 90 degrees — straightening releases pressure
• Control the elbow with your body weight to prevent them from extending

Kimura from Closed Guard

The most common kimura setup: from the hip bump sweep. Sit up toward the target arm, overhook their arm with your arm, and take the figure-four grip. If they don't tap to the kimura, you sweep them — the threat of one feeds the other.

Kimura from Closed Guard Setup

• From closed guard, sit up to the kimura side (use the hip bump motion)
• Overhook their arm — your armpit catches their arm above the elbow
• Take the figure-four grip: hand on wrist, other arm behind their arm, grab your own wrist
• To finish: open your guard and come up to your knees, finishing the shoulder lock
• If they grab their belt or shorts, work to break the grip, then sweep or transition

Kimura from Side Control

From side control, the far arm kimura is the most common. When your opponent reaches across to frame or grab you, their arm is exposed. Trap it with your body weight and establish the figure-four grip.

• From side control, post your hand near their far hip and step over their head
• Trap their far arm against your body, establish the figure-four
• Finish by walking around their head while rotating the arm
• Alternatively, drop your hip on their arm to apply pressure without walking

Kimura from North-South

North-south position naturally exposes the arms. From north-south, reach down and trap one arm for the figure-four. This creates a kimura that can be finished by rotating the body to apply pressure, or transition directly to back control if they roll away.

Kimura from Turtle

When your opponent turtles, their arms are often exposed. Reach for the near arm, establish the figure-four grip, and use it to flatten them out or take their back. The kimura from turtle is also an entry to the kimura trap system.

The Kimura Trap System

The kimura trap — popularized by John Danaher and applied devastatingly by Garry Tonon, Gordon Ryan, and others — uses the kimura grip not just as a submission but as a control system. Once you have the kimura grip, you have a lever on the entire upper body.

Kimura Trap Entries

• Guard to kimura trap: establish from closed guard or half guard
• Sprawl to kimura trap: when they shoot, sprawl and trap the near arm
• Side control to kimura trap: trap the far arm from side control

Kimura Trap Attacks

• Kimura submission: the direct shoulder lock
• Back take: use the kimura grip to turn them into back control
• Sweep: use the kimura to sweep when they resist
• Belly-down kimura: drive them face-down and apply from top position

The power of the kimura trap is that the grip creates options in every direction. Your opponent has to do something — and whatever they do, you have a response built into the system.

Kimura vs. Americana vs. Omoplata

These three shoulder locks attack the same joint from different angles:

• Kimura: Arm rotated up behind the back — available from below (guard) and from top (side control)
• Americana (keylock): Arm rotated up toward the head — primarily from top positions (mount, side control)
• Omoplata: Leg-based shoulder lock from guard — rotates the arm forward and across the body

Understanding all three creates a shoulder lock system — if they defend one, transition to another.

Kimura Defense

The primary defense to the kimura is not letting them establish the figure-four grip. When you see someone setting up for a kimura:

• Grab your own belt, collar, or shorts to prevent them completing the grip
• Tuck the threatened arm close to your body to make it harder to isolate
• Roll toward the kimura direction — sometimes you can roll through to escape or counter
• Stack into them from guard to prevent finishing leverage